898 
by the engineer of the Blackwall railway ; they have also been 
introduced on the Durham and Sunderland railway. This 
line, like the Blackw^all line, is worked by stationary engines ; 
and one continuous rope stretches from Sunderland Moor to 
Ryhope, a distance of three miles, which, during the few 
months that it has been in operation, has given satisfaction to 
the engineer. The weight of Newall's v,ire rope on this 
railway is less than one-half that of a hempen rope ; its flexi- 
bility is at least equal ; and in point of durability there seems 
reason to believe that the wire rope will exceed the hempen ; 
for, as yet, there is^no appearance of chafing or wear on its 
surface. These ropes cost rather less, in the first instance, 
than hempen ones ; and their increased economy will, of 
course, be proportionate to their greater durability. But 
this remains to be proved. 
Heimann's wire ropes have been used for several years on 
the continent, and principally for mines, many of which are 
from 200 to 400 yards deep, and the average duration of the 
ropes is said to be three years. 
In England, Heimann's wire ropes have not been used for 
more than nine or ten months. At Seghill Colliery, near 
Newcastle, one of his round ropes was laid in June last, upon 
an inclined plane, about a mile and a quarter long, and rising 
1 in 45. The weight attached to the rope, and drawn up by 
the engine, is 90 tons. This rope is only three inches cir- 
cumference, and is composed of 42 wires of No. 13 wire 
gauge, and weighs about 7 lbs. per fathom. The drum round 
which the rope is wound is nine feet diameter, and the sheaves 
or pulleys on the inclined plane are the ordinary sized cast 
iron ones. Owdng to an accident which happened to the 
engine, this rope broke after it had been in use four months ; 
but the workmen succeeded in splicing it again, and it has 
continued ever since to work in the most satisfactory manner. 
Mr. Carr, the viewer of the colliery, has expressed his belief 
